Following its radical programme of restructuring under the new CEO Werner Klatten, EM.TV & Merchandising is now planning to re-enter the arena of production in the field children's and family programming.

In future, the Munich-based company intends to be involved annually in up to six animated or live-action series geared to teenagers as well as younger children. At present, EM.TV is serving as a co-production partner on the animated series Old Tom, Tabaluga III, The World Of Tosh and Fairy Tale Police Department (F.T.P.D.) and on the live-action series The Zack Files.

EM.TV's revived commitment to production has been accompanied by the appointment of Anke Steinbacher as the new head of creative affairs.

This latest development comes as EM.TV reported that its sales in the third quarter were "substantially better" than the previous two quarters, largely due to licensing agreements for animated characters as well as the marketing of Formula One events.

EM.TV posted a nine-month result before interest and tax (EBIT) of DM 104m and a financial result of minus DM 218m which was significantly affected by interest charges from Formula One, meaning that the profit on ordinary activities (EBT) was minus DM 115m.